Closterkeller - Graphite
Metal Mind Records - 2003
By Tim Blake
Having never been much of a fan of gothic things in general, from music to attire and aesthetics, I'm probably not the best person out there to review a goth-rock album. But hey, someone's gotta do it, as they say. Closterkeller hail from Poland, and their ethnicity is plainly evident throughout, mostly due to the very strong accent of female vocalist Anja Orthodox. Being their first album in English, Graphite is a re-vocalized version of an album they originally produced in the Polish language in 1999. In this context, there is some doubt as to the reasoning behind this dubious decision. First, the music...
The album opens with the promising 'Athe'. Combining a pop-catchiness with proggish flourishes of keyboards, it is a clear-cut standout. 'Somewhere In Between' continues in the same vein, and further exhibits the commercial nature of the music; a stab at textured and gothic rock with a pop-twinge. 'The Mermaid' has nice touches of piano and floating synths in the background, a great song overall. At this point the album picks up the pace a bit with 'The Pearl', which crawls up to a powerful conclusion. 'The Secret Game' is one of the poppiest, and most immediately accessible songs on the album, while 'The Ego Game' smacks of radio, but is at the same time quite likeable. The rest of the album continues in a similar fashion; accessible, sometimes touching, and overall well-crafted, considered gothic-rock. There is a great flow and consistancy to the album, and the song-craft is impeccable. Other standouts include 'Two Days', an intimate ballad of sorts, 'Love For Money', the heaviest track, and 'Graphite', a heavily gothic song that skirts a circus feel at times.
In conclusion, once again I've encountered one of those albums that screams CRAFTSMANSHIP!!! at you in a loud voice; a well constructed, compotently performed, and high quality release. Unfortunately, with music like this it is easy to fall into a rut of sameness, where the songs can start to blur into each other. This is the bane of unadventurous music - you always know what is coming next - as is the case with this release, albeit with a few good bits on the way. For all it's moments of excellence, Graphite simply isn't that exciting, and the monotony could be generated by the fact that Anja's awkwardly accented singing can begin to grate. Not because a Polish accent is a bad thing, but because it leaves you wondering how this would sound with her singing comfortably in her native tongue. I think I would have preferred to hear the original recording. This album has some very nice moments, and is not a complete waste of your time, but I don't think I'm going to be coming back to it too much.
7/10.
Official Closterkeller Website
Metal Mind Records - (under construction)
Metal Mind Records - 2003
By Tim Blake
Having never been much of a fan of gothic things in general, from music to attire and aesthetics, I'm probably not the best person out there to review a goth-rock album. But hey, someone's gotta do it, as they say. Closterkeller hail from Poland, and their ethnicity is plainly evident throughout, mostly due to the very strong accent of female vocalist Anja Orthodox. Being their first album in English, Graphite is a re-vocalized version of an album they originally produced in the Polish language in 1999. In this context, there is some doubt as to the reasoning behind this dubious decision. First, the music...
The album opens with the promising 'Athe'. Combining a pop-catchiness with proggish flourishes of keyboards, it is a clear-cut standout. 'Somewhere In Between' continues in the same vein, and further exhibits the commercial nature of the music; a stab at textured and gothic rock with a pop-twinge. 'The Mermaid' has nice touches of piano and floating synths in the background, a great song overall. At this point the album picks up the pace a bit with 'The Pearl', which crawls up to a powerful conclusion. 'The Secret Game' is one of the poppiest, and most immediately accessible songs on the album, while 'The Ego Game' smacks of radio, but is at the same time quite likeable. The rest of the album continues in a similar fashion; accessible, sometimes touching, and overall well-crafted, considered gothic-rock. There is a great flow and consistancy to the album, and the song-craft is impeccable. Other standouts include 'Two Days', an intimate ballad of sorts, 'Love For Money', the heaviest track, and 'Graphite', a heavily gothic song that skirts a circus feel at times.
In conclusion, once again I've encountered one of those albums that screams CRAFTSMANSHIP!!! at you in a loud voice; a well constructed, compotently performed, and high quality release. Unfortunately, with music like this it is easy to fall into a rut of sameness, where the songs can start to blur into each other. This is the bane of unadventurous music - you always know what is coming next - as is the case with this release, albeit with a few good bits on the way. For all it's moments of excellence, Graphite simply isn't that exciting, and the monotony could be generated by the fact that Anja's awkwardly accented singing can begin to grate. Not because a Polish accent is a bad thing, but because it leaves you wondering how this would sound with her singing comfortably in her native tongue. I think I would have preferred to hear the original recording. This album has some very nice moments, and is not a complete waste of your time, but I don't think I'm going to be coming back to it too much.
7/10.
Official Closterkeller Website
Metal Mind Records - (under construction)
